UN's Guterres meets Arab League chief in Cairo on regional tensions

Cairo meeting

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy in the Egyptian capital on Sunday to discuss regional developments and advance peace through dialogue, according to the UN office in Cairo. The UN office said on the social media platform X that discussions focused on reinforcing cooperation between the two organizations for stability and sustainable development across the Arab region. Guterres also met with the UN country team in Egypt and regional directors to discuss the organization's work with the Egyptian government and support for people affected by humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan.

Refugee crisis

Egypt hosts many Palestinians who left the Gaza Strip following Israel's war in October 2023, including patients and wounded people requiring medical treatment, alongside Sudanese refugees who fled the war that erupted in their country in April 2023. Egyptian government estimates cited in a 2025 UNICEF report indicated that more than 1.2 million Sudanese had arrived in Egypt since the war began, in addition to about 5 million Sudanese who were already living in the country before the conflict. There are no official figures for the number of Palestinians who have entered Egypt.

Diplomatic push

Guterres arrived in Cairo on Saturday as part of diplomatic consultations aimed at de-escalating tensions between the US and Iran and supporting a diplomatic solution to the conflict in cooperation with Egypt and regional partners. In a post on X, Guterres said he was carrying a message calling for an end to the expansion of the war, the protection of civilians and the creation of conditions for diplomacy and peace. "We must tackle the inequalities that divide societies - & stop the conflicts that are multiplying human suffering & pushing an already unequal world further apart," he said.

The meeting comes after Guterres and Fahmy held talks last month on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where they discussed the impact of regional escalation on the security and stability of the Arab region and its implications for international shipping, energy security and global trade.